Common Sense Aquarium Maintenance
Scheduled preventative maintenance for your saltwater or freshwater aquarium can be made much easier by following these simple guidelines. With just a little maintenance work done every day, this will keep your fish and aquarium environment clean and healthy.
Things to be done daily:
Make sure to turn the aquarium lights on and off each day. Most aquarists find it convenient to use an automatic timer for this. If you choose not to go this route, try to turn the lights on and off at the same times each day. What you will be trying to do, is replicate a natural day/night cycle for your fish.
Take a couple of minutes each day to check your fish and invertebrates for signs of stress, disease, or death. Always be prepared to remove dead specimens immediately, and treat any sick fish accordingly.
Feed your fish and invertebrates twice a day, removing any uneaten food.
If your tank is not fully seasoned yet, conduct water tests until the water matures and the nitrogen cycle is established. Routine tests include ammonia, nitrite, nitrate, and pH. Record and track these test results carefully.
Routinely check the water temperature in your aquarium. Adjust the heater up or down as needed, unless you're using one of the preset aquarium heaters currently on the market. If you have a saltwater tank, the specific gravity or salinity, must also be checked.
If a protein skimmer is being utilized on your aquarium, empty the collection cup as needed.
The ever-attentive aquarist should also check the water level, and top off as needed.
Visually check all aquarium systems: heaters, filters, aerators, protein skimmers and such. Make sure they're all running properly and smoothly and pay special attention to intakes and siphon tubes. Make sure nothing is leaking or sucking air
Things to be done weekly:
Remove excess algae, while keeping beneficial algae at acceptable levels and getting rid of nuisance algae.
Clean the glass, both inside and out, without the use of glass cleaners of course. Remove salt-creep deposits.
Water tests should be conducted weekly, after the water matures and the nitrogen cycle has been established. Record all of these test results and add trace elements and buffers, as needed.
Things to be done every other week:
Clean your aquarium filters as needed. All solid debris should be carefully removed. Partially change or rinse the filter media within the filter if the bio-load is particularly high, the media is extremely dirty, or the normal water flow is being restricted.
Change about 10 to 15 percent of the tank water while thoroughly vacuuming the gravel.
Things to be done monthly:
Conduct thorough filter checks to assess the filter's overall effectiveness. Replace the filter carbon and rinse the filter media and components as needed, being careful to not upset the bulk of the bioload.
If a protein skimmer is being utilized on your tank, it should be thoroughly cleaned at this time.
Thoroughly clean the outside of the fish tank, hood, aquarium stand and surrounding area, removing all salt and calcium deposits, dust, and any dirt that has accumulated.
Remove and rinse off any tank decorations or plants that suffer from excess algae growth
Things to be done daily:
Make sure to turn the aquarium lights on and off each day. Most aquarists find it convenient to use an automatic timer for this. If you choose not to go this route, try to turn the lights on and off at the same times each day. What you will be trying to do, is replicate a natural day/night cycle for your fish.
Take a couple of minutes each day to check your fish and invertebrates for signs of stress, disease, or death. Always be prepared to remove dead specimens immediately, and treat any sick fish accordingly.
Feed your fish and invertebrates twice a day, removing any uneaten food.
If your tank is not fully seasoned yet, conduct water tests until the water matures and the nitrogen cycle is established. Routine tests include ammonia, nitrite, nitrate, and pH. Record and track these test results carefully.
Routinely check the water temperature in your aquarium. Adjust the heater up or down as needed, unless you're using one of the preset aquarium heaters currently on the market. If you have a saltwater tank, the specific gravity or salinity, must also be checked.
If a protein skimmer is being utilized on your aquarium, empty the collection cup as needed.
The ever-attentive aquarist should also check the water level, and top off as needed.
Visually check all aquarium systems: heaters, filters, aerators, protein skimmers and such. Make sure they're all running properly and smoothly and pay special attention to intakes and siphon tubes. Make sure nothing is leaking or sucking air
Things to be done weekly:
Remove excess algae, while keeping beneficial algae at acceptable levels and getting rid of nuisance algae.
Clean the glass, both inside and out, without the use of glass cleaners of course. Remove salt-creep deposits.
Water tests should be conducted weekly, after the water matures and the nitrogen cycle has been established. Record all of these test results and add trace elements and buffers, as needed.
Things to be done every other week:
Clean your aquarium filters as needed. All solid debris should be carefully removed. Partially change or rinse the filter media within the filter if the bio-load is particularly high, the media is extremely dirty, or the normal water flow is being restricted.
Change about 10 to 15 percent of the tank water while thoroughly vacuuming the gravel.
Things to be done monthly:
Conduct thorough filter checks to assess the filter's overall effectiveness. Replace the filter carbon and rinse the filter media and components as needed, being careful to not upset the bulk of the bioload.
If a protein skimmer is being utilized on your tank, it should be thoroughly cleaned at this time.
Thoroughly clean the outside of the fish tank, hood, aquarium stand and surrounding area, removing all salt and calcium deposits, dust, and any dirt that has accumulated.
Remove and rinse off any tank decorations or plants that suffer from excess algae growth
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